Work-book Answers – Julius Caesar - Evergreen

Act III Scene 1

Question 1

1. What does Caesar answer to the people who want him to read their suit? Who
does Caesar get annoyed with? Why?
Ans: Caesar refuses to read Artemidorus’ petition and tells he will read his suit last as it
pertains to Caesar personally while Cassius asks him to present his petition in the

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Senate and not on the streets.
Artemidorus.
Due to his persistence in asking to read his suit immediately, even though Caesar had
refused to do so already.

he instruct Casca to do?

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2. What does Popilius say to Cassius? Why does Cassius get tensed? What does

Ans: Popilius bids Cassius ‘luck’ for his enterprise (plan) that day.
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Tensed – As he fears their conspiracy has been revealed/ discovered.
Instructs Casca to be sudden while striking/ stabbing Caesar.

3. What makes Brutus tell Cassius to be calm?

Ans: Brutus notices Popilius talking to Caesar calmly and smiling, and Caesar expressions
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hadn’t changed. Thus, he is assured that the two aren’t talking of the conspiracy and
advices Cassius to remain calm.

4. Who takes Antony out of the way? Why? What is Metellus Cimber’s suit to
Caesar? State three instances to show Caesar’s high handedness in not granting
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Metellus Cimber’s suit.

Ans: Trebonius.
As a part of the plan so that Antony doesn’t interfere with their plans to murder Caesar.
Revoke his brother, Publius Cimber’s banishment- give him the rights of a citizen.
Caesar’s high handedness is seen when he ridicules all and does not pay heed to any
of the requests of the nobles (conspirators)- says prayers and dog like flattery won’t
move him, calls himself as constant as the northern star and unassilable; one can
move the Mt. Olympus but to change or move Caesar’s decision was impossible.

Question 2

1. Who does Caesar compare himself to in the blanks...? How does he compare
himself to the object? Mention 2 qualities Caesar boasts about himself.
Ans: Northern Star.
No other star in the sky is as rigid or constant as the North Star. It is the most resolute
and inflexible.
Quality of being most resolute and firm, Caesar doth no wrong nor without cause will
Caesar be satisfied / unassailable.

2. What is the outcome of Caesar’s high handedness? Who strikes Caesar first and
who strikes him last?
Ans:Gets distracted and is murdered.
Casca- Brutus

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3. What are Caesar’s famous words before he falls? What is the significance of his
last words?
Ans:“Et tu Brute! Then fall Caesar”

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Significance- Now as his most trusted, dependable son like Brutus has also stabbed him-
Caesar must fall to the ground and die, feels a deep personal betrayal.

4. What is the reaction of the people when Caesar falls? How does Brutus try to
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appease the people?
Ans:Stare, cry and run as if it were doomsday.
Brutus tries to calm the people by asking them to not run and not be afraid as Caesar
had paid the price of being too ambitious.

5. How does Brutus show that he has performed an honourable deed? What does it
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tell about Brutus?
Ans:After murdering Caesar, Brutus feels he has performed an hounourable deed by cutting
short the years of fearing death, for Caesar. Thus, labelling it as an act of a friend or a
well-wisher.
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Brutus’ idealism in trying to justify Caesar’s murder as a noble deed.

Question 3

1. Who is the speaker? What does the speaker want the conspirators to do after
this action?
Ans:Brutus.
He wants the conspirators to walk to the marketplace with hands and swords
smeared with Caesar’s blood, crying out loud, ‘Peace, Liberty, Freedom’, so the
commoners get afraid of them.

2. Where does Caesar lie dead? Who does Cassius want to lead?
Ans:On the base/ pedestal of Pompey’s statue.
Brutus.
 3. Who enters after the extract? Why has the person come there? What has he been
asked to do? What has that person been ordered to tell Brutus? What does Brutus
have to vouchsafe?
Ans:Mark Antony’s servant/ friend.
Upon Antony’s behest, the servant has come to confirm the safety of Antony as he
wishes to meet and speak with Brutus.
With utmost respect, in a bent position (bowing), Antony’s servant needs to inform Brutus that
though Antony loved and honoured Caesar, he also feared him while on the other hand as
Brutus is noble, wise, valiant, and honest – he loves Brutus, and honours him.
Brutus needs to graciously allow Antony to safely come to him and be satisfied with the reason
why Caesar deserved to die, then he would not love the dead Caesar so much as he would

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love and follow the living Brutus through the dangers of the new and unknown
circumstances with complete faith.

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4. What does Brutus assure the person?
Ans:Brutus assures the servant/ person that Antony was a wise and valiant Roman and that he
never thought of him otherwise. He also promises should Antony want to come and meet
Brutus; he will satisfy his queries/ doubts and he would come and go untouched upon
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Brutus’ word of honor.

Question 4

1. What does Antony wish for? Why does he make such a wish?
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Ans:Antony wishes that if he too is to be killed, this was the right hour for him to die (the hour of
death of Caesar) and die at the hands of the conspirators - the leaders of the new era, by the
same blood smeared swords that killed Caesar, and he wished his corpse should lie
besides the noble Caesar’s body.
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2. What reason does Brutus give for not granting Antony’s wish? How does he
justify to Antony the reason for murdering Caesar?
Ans:Brutus says that he and other conspirators only look cruel and bloody due to the bloody act
they have performed, but their hearts are all pitiful for Caesar, and moreover the wrongs
done by him towards Rome.
Brutus further justifies his act by stating that as fire engulfs fire so has the pity for
the wrongs done towards Rome by Caesar has engulfed the pity they felt for Caesar.

3. How does Brutus try to convince Antony that they have no ill will towards him?
What does Antony do to extend his hand of friendship towards the conspirators?
What is Antony’s ulterior motive in doing so?
Ans:Brutus says that for Antony, their swords have blunt edges. The arms of the conspirators- with
the same strength (of malice which they had for Caesar) and their hearts filled with
brotherly love would welcome Antony with love, good thoughts, and admiration.
Antony shakes hands with all the conspirators one by one starting with Brutus and
shaking Trebonius’ hand last.
Ulterior motive- avenge Caesar’s murder- Antonio is not coward but shrewd.

4. What does Antony compare Caesar and the conspirators to? How does Antony
win the confidence of the conspirators?
Ans:Antony compares Caesar to a brave hart (deer), currently lying dead, hunted down by
the princes- the hunters, pointing out to the conspirators who are standing with hands
reddened with Caesar’s life blood. He further says the world was a forest to this brave
deer while Caesar was the heart of this world.

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Antony assures that he never doubted the wisdom of the conspirators and that he
loved them all and states that even Caesar’s enemies would praise him and being a
friend, his words were too modest.

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5. What request does Antony make? Who objects to his request? Was the person
who objected sound in his judgement of Antony?
Ans:Antony requests that he should be allowed to carry the noble remains of Caesar to
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the marketplace and be allowed to give a eulogy for him before the Romans// should
be allowed to address the Romans on his funeral.
Cassius.
Yes, Cassius has a sound judgement and has rightly judged Antony. He knows Antony
has the power to sway the multitude (people) against the conspirators, and his
apprehensions do come true later.
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Question 5

1. Why does Antony refer to Caesar’s body ‘thou bleeding piece of earth’? Who
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does he call ‘butchers?’

Ans:Caesar’s bleeding corpse is lying on the earth, and all his victories, achievements and
triumphs shrunk to nothing(earth) hence Antony refers it as ‘thou bleeding piece of
earth.’
He calls the conspirators as butchers as they had brutally and conceitedly murdered Caesar.

2. When, why and how had Antony been meek and gentle with these butchers?
What trait of Antony’s character do you assess by this action?
Ans:Antony had been meek and gentle with these butchers as he shook hands cordially with
these butchers, praising Brutus and pretending to make peace- after they brutally
murder Caesar, that too in the presence of his corpse, rather than opposing or
fighting them.
This action of his tells us that Antony is a man of practical wisdom and cunning.
 3. What does Antony prophesy on the wounds of Caesar? Who will roam about to
take revenge? Does Antony’s Prophesy come true? How?
Ans:Antony prophesizes that a curse shall befall the Romans. Rome will be engulfed by
savage fights and extreme destruction with domestic fury and civil strife. The sights
of destruction will become so common that mothers shall but smile upon seeing
their babies cut to pieces by the weapons of war.
Caesar’s spirit accompanied by Goddess Ate, from hell.
Yes. The predicted civil strife and violence engulf Rome, and finally the conspirators are
defeated.

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4. Who enters the scene after Antony’s soliloquy? What news does the person
bring?
Ans:A servant of Octavius, acting as his herald.

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The news that his Master Octavius is about to arrive and is currently camping
within seven leagues of Rome.

5. What does Antony tell the person to convey to the person who has sent him?
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What two things does Antony request from the person to do at the end of the scene?
Ans:Antony first wants Octavius’ servant to immediately return to Octavius and tell him
that Caesar was dead and that it was not apt for Octavius to come to Rome at the
moment as it was a dangerous and mourning Rome. But then he decides otherwise
and asks him to wait for a while and observe the view of the people after his speech.
Two requests made by Antony to the servant are firstly, to describe the state of
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affairs
of Rome after Caesar’s death and secondly to lend him (Antony) a hand to carry
Caesar’s body.
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Act III Scene 2

Question 1

1. Where does the scene take place? Who is Brutus addressing?

Ans:Forum, Rome amongst a throng of people.
The commoners/ citizens of Rome.
2. Why does Brutus ask who he addresses to be a better judge? Is Brutus correct in
his assessment of what he addresses? Give reasons for your answer.
Ans: Brutus asks ‘the mob’ to be a better judge and censure him and his words with their
wisdom to make an informed judgement for his actions ( of killing Caesar).
No, Brutus is not right.
Mob is always fickle minded, and their collective thinking is more prone to emotion
rather than reasoning.
 3. Who does Brutus feel he has offended in his speech? What reply does he get?
Ans: Any dear friends of Caesar, who would have liked to live under his reign as a bondman.
Anyone who was not a true Roman, and who does not love his country.
“None, Brutus, none”

4. How does Brutus justify that he has offended no one at the end of his speech?
Who enters after his speech?
Ans: Brutus justifies, as all men have true Roman spirit, and love their country and as
no one wants to be a bondman and live and die as a bondman hence he has not

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offended any Roman. He also claims since he has done no more to Caesar that they
would do to him in similar circumstances.
Mark Antony and others enter with Caesar’s body.

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5. How does Brutus introduce the person who enters? Why is he confident that the
person means no harm to the conspirators?
Ans: Brutus introduces Mark Antony bearing the body of Caesar, who has had no hand
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in Caesar’s death and will be given his due place in the commonwealth.
Brutus is confident as he believes Antony is honourable like himself because he had
instructed Antony to not speak ill of the conspirators in his oration.

Question 2 ( Home -Work)

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Question 3

1. Who would Antony choose to wrong rather than the honourable men?
Ans: Himself, the dead (Caesar) and the citizens of Rome.
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2. What had Antony found in Caesar’s closet? What would the people do if they
came to know of the contents of what Antony found?
Ans: Caesar’s will.
They would kiss dead Caesar’s wounds, dip their napkins in his sacred blood, beg a
hair of him as a memento which they would bequeath, upon their death, to their
children.

3. What reasons does Antony give for delaying in reading the contents of what he
had found in Caesar’s closet? How does he incite the mob further?
Ans: Antony feels it would not be proper to read the will as the people are neither wood
nor stones, but humans with blood running in their veins / humans with sentiments
and it would rouse the men’s anger and drive them mad with fury.
He further incites them by telling them that it is better that they do not know that they
 are the heirs of Caesar, as it will further lead them to commit grave mischiefs.

4. What does he ask the mob to do? What does he want to show them?
Ans: Antony asks the mob to form a circle around Caesar’s body.
He wanted to show to the people the man who had made the will, and the wounds he
received at the hands of the conspirators- to evoke their senses.

5. Explain:- “ If I were disposed to stir more hearts and minds to mutiny and rage”.
Ans: The above words are highly ironical as, though Antony says that he had no wish to
excite the mob into a sudden rebellion, but that is exactly what he does and wants.

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6. Does Antony really stir their minds to mutiny and rage? Explain.
Ans: Yes, Antony is successful in igniting the rage of the Romans and stir their minds to
mutiny.

and kill them.

Question 4 ( Home -Work) ik

The crowd is so much incited that they will- to seek and burn the conspirators houses
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Question 5

1. How does Antony go on to compare himself with Brutus? How does Antony
try to project himself to be simple and out right to the mob? Why does he do so?
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Does he really mean it when he says, ‘let me not stir your up’?
Ans: Antony says he is not an orator like Brutus but a plain, blunt man, who lacked wit,
vocabulary, expression, merits, and the power to arouse men.
He claims that he is speaking what all men know of already, and just wants to show
Caesar’s open wounds, comparing them to dumb mouths urging him to speak on
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their behalf.
Antony does so to present himself as a humble man, who cannot stir up men’s
emotions to rebel and revolt, while inciting them in reality.
No, he really wanted to stir the emotions of the citizens to rebel.

2. What does Antony show the people that incites them still further to mutiny
and rage? What does it contain?
Ans: Caesar’s will.
Details of all the money and property that was bequeathed to the commoners. Caesar
had pledged seventy-five drachmas to every citizen, along with his private walkways,
gardens, and the newly planted orchard on this side of river Tiber.

3. What do the mob decide to do at the end of the scene?

Ans: The mob gets incited to revolt against the conpirators and burn their houses and kill
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Act III Scene 3

Question 1

1,2,3,4, (Homework)

5. Where does the mob go at the end of the scene? What is the significance of the scene?
What character traits of the mob are portrayed in this scene?

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Ans: The mob, with firebrands in their hands, go to burn the houses of the conspirators.
Throws light on the mob mentality, how blinded they become when incited and lose
the power to think rationally. It foreshadows the upcoming destruction.
( If this question comes for 3 marks/ 4 marks read significance of the scene from
workbook page 85)

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Ruthless, irrational, illogical, guided by emotions – not by intellect, blinded by rage to
avenge Caesar’s death.
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